


Unbidden Memories

by ForeverWhimsy



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-31 05:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15112766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverWhimsy/pseuds/ForeverWhimsy
Summary: Some unabashed angst because I just finished my first ever play through of the MET





	Unbidden Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for possible ME2 outcomes

The door to the port cargo bay slid open with a pneumatic hiss.

“Commander.” The Prothean’s greeting was stilted, but not cold.

“You settling in alright, Javik?” She knew she should’ve checked on him earlier, but between what was left of the Council ordering her to one side of the galaxy and Admiral Hackett ordering her to the other, this was the first moment she’d had to spare.

“Some of the crew wishes to be my friend. That is not my purpose here.” His back was to her, hands plunged into the tank in front of him as he scrubbed at his leathery skin. “Also, I find I need to wash my hands. The residue on this ship is strong.”

Her brow furrowed. “Residue?”

He finally turned to face her, his four yellow eyes penetrated her and left her feeling exposed. “I have been exploring. There are traces of those who lived on the Normandy before.”

He looked at her expectantly, but when the Commander didn’t respond, Javik continued. “I detected a human female. Her genetic structure was unnatural, as if artificially created.”

“Sounds like Miranda,” a small smile played on her lips.

Javik tilted his head to the side as he studied her, and continued, “A Krogan who lived in these quarters. He was undergoing a … metamorphosis. His memories were confused…not organic to his mind. There was great confusion and turmoil.”

“Ah, Grunt.” The Commander’s smile grew. “He needed to undergo a Krogan Rite of Passage before he could finally settle into himself. He was grown in a lab, instead of being born, due to the genophage.” A horrendously shortened version of the story, but she doubted Javik would approve either way.

Indeed, the Prothean’s nose crinkled with a look of plain disgust. Still, he moved on. “But what I found most interesting, was the Drell. There was illness in him.”

“Thane,” her voice rasped and she shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet Javik’s piercing stare.

“Despite his illness, his residue is thick; the emotions within and without the Drell were strong. Dedication, devotion, redemption and...” Silence lingered painfully between them before Javik finished his thought. “…love.”

The Commander swallowed, “I still can’t wrap my head around that — reading information like you do.” 

“For my people it was as natural as breathing. “

“Evolution is an amazing force.” She wasn’t even sure what she was saying at this point. She just needed to end the conversation and get out. The millenniums old alien towered over her, his words rattled in her head, and the air felt hot and sticky. She was only just aware that he was still talking, imparting his wisdom about something called the cosmic imperative.

She swallowed again, an ill-fated attempt to wet the tongue that had turned to wool in her mouth. She blinked away the tears that threatened and she looked up at Javik, who stared at her expectantly.

“An amazing force,” she repeated dully and began to wander out the door and into the hall. Thane’s face flashed before her eyes, the faint aroma of medicinal herbs and armor oil filling her, she could practically feel his strong hands gently pressed against the small of her back as though guiding her.

Memory after memory flooded her: meeting at gunpoint in the executive tower on Ilium, watching him reunite with Kolyat, the somber evening they spent together as he told her about Irikah and she told him about Kaidan, the night she learned her soul name.

The door in front of her hissed, breaking her from her reverie.

She hadn’t meant to come here.

She stepped into the life support bay and stood at Thane’s desk. A silent tear rolled down her cheek as she picked up his favorite mug and noticed the faintest ring of dust in its wake. She hugged the mug to her chest and choked back a sob.

“I’m sorry,” she said to the emptiness, her voice cracking. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be your tenacious protector, your Siha.”

 


End file.
